Characters like Jeffrey at Slipperyskip Computers have started cramming tiny motherboards into some very cool cases.
The Stylophone Beatbox has just been released, 40 years after the original Stylophone took the world by storm.
Paul Schweizer's sailplane designs have introduced thousands of pilots to soaring. My favorite is the 1-26 single-seat glider.
The David White Stereo Realist 3D projector looks like it was designed with Lord Vader in mind. It's the companion to the Stereo Realist camera we featured earlier this year. Just remember, "Once you start down the dark path, forever will it dominate your destiny, consume you it will." -- Yoda
STEREO REALIST - 3-D Slide Projector - Model 81 [eBay via Gizmodo]
Back in 1969, some boffins from the Post Office research station at Dollis Hill put together their vision of telecommunication in the 1990s. It is darkly disturbing, especially the notion that telecommuting workers would strut around the house in a suit and tie while coldly brushing off an army of annoying children. These days, we just toss the little sprogs outside and let them fend for themselves.
Incidentally, Colossus -- the top secret code-breaking computer that cracked the German Lorenz ciphers during World War II -- was also created at Dollis Hill.
GPO (BT) Vision of the Future [YouTube]
It's funny to see critics recoil in disappointment at "2012", the latest installment in the disaster film genre. While these flicks are often fun, they are less often any good. I like to have fun at the movies with explosions and karate and all of that, but overindulgent effects-driven movies leave me with a hunger that not even a $20 bag of cinema popcorn can sate. Besides, I find today's hyper-realistic images of destruction far more disturbing than entertaining. I'd prefer that someone bring back the cardboard carnage of Gamera movies...
The story that took the producers of "2012" kerjillions of dollars and more than two hours to realize was done better by the Fleischer brothers in a five minute cartoon in 1928. One of my favorite eras in animation is the late silent/early sound period, and back then the Fleischers were among the best. Few could match the draftsmanship and the daftness of their cartoons. After nearly a century, these cartoons still have boundless snap, pace, and energy. The thickly nibbed line of the characters preserved the look of the animation through countless reproductions of these film elements. Even an image quality robbing trip through the patented YouTube Image Grinder can't keep this pair down.
Koko the Clown and his dog Fitz circumnavigate the globe to find the control center for all the earth. A mischevious Fitz can't leave well enough alone, even betraying animated "reality" to bring about a Fleischer fuelled cataclysm. The last minute has some great real-world animation that folks would refer to as "Gilliam-esque" just a few decades too early. If you've never seen Koko, this animated end of days is one of his best silents. Who said that psychedelic insanity needs to be in color?
related:
ACME Corporation online catalog
Bill Jackson's brilliant "Cartoon Town"
Although the auction calls the RITM-2 the "Russian Minimoog," this simple little analog monosynth has little in common with Robert Moog's classic instrument. Still, it looks cool. Despite having only a single oscillator, it offers a reasonable variety of waveforms (saw, sine, PWM, noise). To dirty things up a bit, the VCA can be internally overdriven with the gain knob, resulting in heavy distortion. Needless to say, there's no decadent MIDI interface or glittering capitalist LCD display.
The synth ships from Vienna and is apparently in good technical and physical condition, with no crackly potentiometers. The power supply and audio circuits have been professionally converted to Western European standards (220 sizzling volts of fun).
I'm not really sure what I'd do with a personal rocket launcher (apart from getting arrested), but owning one was definitely a boyhood dream. That dream can now become reality for a mere $199.99.
In return for your hard-earned cash, Centerfire Systems will send you a battered and dented Spanish rocket launcher manufactured in the 1960s or 1970s. It measures 70" and includes the original optical sight, eyecup, shield and bipod stand.
Sadly, it's been deactivated to BATF specs so you won't be able to enjoy the delights of drunken cow hunting.
The Logitec AM/FM USB radio stick is proof that vintage technology isn't always the best solution for the 21st century. The receiver plugs into your notebook so you can listen to (and record) old fashioned terrestrial radio.
It's kind of like enjoying your mp3 collection or favorite streaming music service, except with much lower fidelity and frequent interruptions by loud people trying to sell you things.
The FM/AM stick can receive most strong FM stations, but you'll need to plug in the 3m external antenna to get a good AM signal. It's got a magnet on the back, so you can string it above your seat and fasten it to conveniently exposed metal while riding the bus. There's also an optional coax hookup should you wish to run an extension cable from your TV. Kinda defeats the whole idea of having a portable computer, doesn't it?
This ridiculous replacement for a $10 portable radio can be yours for an unspecified price, starting in early December 2009.
USB compatible FM / AM radio tuner "LRT-FMAM200U Series" [via Akihabara News]
What could be cozier in the wintertime than a shiny new atomic watch?
Hammacher Schlemmer claims their $149.95 timepiece is the world's only pocket watch to synchronize with the WWVB Atomic Clock time signal broadcast from Fort Collins, Colorado.
That claim aside, the ad copywriter has obviously never owned a quartz watch because s/he also claims that "it will never gain or lose a second for 30 million years." I beg to differ - the watch battery hidden within the svelte 2-inch surgical-grade stainless steel case will probably need replacing after a mere two or three trips around the sun.
What else? Well, there's a 14-inch stainless steel chain with lobster clasp to keep it firmly attached to your carpenter's jeans at all times, and the LCD display toggles between day/date and second mode. Huh. Somehow I thought the Atomic Age would be far cooler.
Pete Verrando wrote with news of his latest creation: "I just finished this, and thought it looked nice, so I thought I would show you. I do a lot of vintage restorations and mash-ups such as this. Some of them are on the main website under 'Radio Room.'
Inside the vintage cabinet is a 10 watt integrated solid-state amplifier, and a high quality Blaupunkt 5 1/4" coaxial loudspeaker with a massive ceramic magnet. The cabinet is air-sealed and fiberglass blanketed to create an infinite baffle enclosure. The inset side panel offers bass/treble controls, left and right RCA line inputs (sealed), and two 1/4" jack inputs, hot enough for a microphone or electric guitar. Also included is an iPod dock/charger that plugs in directly to the side panel.
The cabinet is a vintage Philco Dynamic Tester, from 1946. Known then as a Signal Tracer, which is just a small amplifier/speaker combination with an external probe for fixing audio equipment."
Absolutely stunning.
Since the introduction of egg shaped chairs in the late 60's, many different styles occasionally appeared in movies depicting the future, or perhaps a scene showing some high style culture maven. In the "Men In Black" movies, egg chairs were even included on the movie posters. I've only seen actual egg chairs a few times in person. The most remarkable might be a 1970's flavor that had been removed from a Playboy club. It was a 2 seater, featured a yolk-colored corduroy interior (blech), and featured speakers built into the sides so that you and your bunny-eared companion could listen to some smooth jazz in relative comfort.
If the thought of decades of horn-dog conventioneers having use the seat before you is a little creepy, there is an all-new version of the audio-equipped henfruit being introduced in just a few months. The Sound Egg features 5.1 surround sound (though it can be configured for stereo), and comes in a variety of colors for the outer shell as well as the sound-proofing foam within. While originally developed as a mini-environment for testing audio gear, the remarkable chair generated enough interest to encourage manufacturer Acousticom to hatch it as a new product.
The market is flooded with heap seats with built-in speakers that are aimed at avid video gamers. This chair gives the anti-social game player a fuller audio experience via the surround sound speakers built in (the subwoofer is built under the seat), while minimizing disturbance to others. Of course movies and music are an obvious candidate for critical listening within this self-contained chamber. At $1450 the Sound Egg isn't exactly a mainstream product, but is positioned to be surprisingly in reach by more than just the Austin Powers audiophile set. Just so long as the listener doesn't mind looking a little like Mork from Ork.
link:
Product page for the Sound Egg
related:
Even more 1970's design photos
Pocket Adder - save the economy in earth-toned 70's style
TV-Pow! - interactive gaming via 1970's kid's TV
Here's a freebie bit of retro consulting for all you modern media moguls. Are you tired of the fallout from the many makeup removal commercials that are just like yours? Electrify your audience with a dazzling day-glo demo of your product by including some low level radiation. That's right, when Dorothy Gray Cosmetics promises to make your face glow, they deliver like the Enola Gay. Here's a 1950's TV commercial that shows just how atomic the atomic age was.
related:
Ad for the unfortunately named game "Ball Busters"
Scary low budget commercial for children's clothing store
Breakfast with Nintendo spot; it's not a "cereal", it's a "system"
Classic Retro Thing |
